Micky Axton

Micky Axton (January 9, 1919 – February 6, 2010) was an American aviator who was a test pilot during World War II. Axton was "one of the first three Women Airforce Service Pilots to be trained as a test pilot" and was the first woman to fly a B-29.

Early life Mildred Darlene Tuttle was born in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1919 to Beatrice Fletcher Tuttle and Ralph Tuttle.

Interest in aviation Her first airplane ride, when she was a child, was in a Curtiss Jenny owned by a neighbor who was part of the Inman Brothers Barnstorming Flying Circus.

She obtained her pilot's license in 1940 and attended the Civilian Pilot Training program at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas as the only woman in the class.

Her brother, Ralph "Tut" Tuttle, was a World War II fighter pilot who flew an estimated 250 missions that earned him two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a Silver Star.

Marriage Mildred Tuttle married David "Wayne" Axton on June 1, 1941, the couple settled in Wichita.

Later life and death Axton was an active member of the Commemorative Air Force for forty years. Her husband died in 1998. In July 2009 United States President Barack Obama signed a bill bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal to members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots for the service they gave to their country during World War II. Axton was to receive the Congressional Gold Medal on March 10, 2010.